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Turkey suspends free medical treatment for Syrians

New measures restrict the entry of Syrian patients to Turkey by canceling free treatment in its state hospitals and forcing them to pay the full cost of treatment.
A doctor examines a Syrian refugee baby at the Kahramanmaras refugee camp's hospital, Kahramanmaras, Turkey, Sept. 19, 2019.
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IDLIB, Syria —Turkey has recently suspended the issuance of the temporary protection ID card — known as Kimlik — for Syrian refugees who need lifesaving treatment inside Turkish territories, replacing it with a medical tourism document. 

On Sept. 20, the medical coordination office of Bab al-Hawa crossing with Turkey issued a circular stating, “We hereby inform patients who have received medical referrals that the issuance of these medical referrals have stopped as of Sept. 11, and until the activation of a new health system for Syrian patients in Turkish hospitals.”

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